The next morning, Ye Yu and the others gathered, and soon Zhao Wuji arrived.
Flande instructed Zhao Wuji to take Ye Yu and the others to the Xingdou Great Forest to help Oscar obtain a Soul Ring. Zhao Wuji internally didn't want to go, or even leave the house, as his injuries were not yet healed, but he had no choice.
As Zhao Wuji approached, everyone except Ye Yu was momentarily stunned.
Zhao Wuji's face was bruised and swollen, particularly around his eyes, giving him panda eyes. This bedraggled appearance made everyone burst into laughter.
Zhao Wuji felt embarrassed and said gruffly, "What's so funny? Itchy skin?"
Zhao Wuji glared at Dai Mubai but avoided glaring at Tang San and Ye Yu.
Zhao Wuji said to Ye Yu, "You'll lead the team."
Ye Yu arranged, "I'll be in front, Rongrong and Xiao Ao behind me, Fatty and Xiao Wu on either side of Rongrong and Xiao Ao, and Tang San, Mubai, and Zhuqing at the back."
Ye Yu and the others set off, and along the way, when others got tired, they ate Oscar's Recovery Sausage to replenish their energy, but Ye Yu didn't need it.
By dusk, Ye Yu and the others arrived at a small town, not far from the Xingdou Great Forest.
"Let's find an inn to rest, and enter the Xingdou Great Forest tomorrow morning."
Quickly, after finding an inn, Zhao Wuji went back to his room.
Ye Yu left alone to wander around the town and buy some heavier weights.
Meanwhile, as Tang San and the others were waiting for Ye Yu while ordering a sumptuous dinner at the inn, they got into a clash with students from Canghui Academy.
Tang San and the others were not at all intimidated. The dean had said that a Soul Master afraid to cause trouble is a mediocrity.
Though Canghui Academy was an Advanced Academy, the gap between these students and Tang San and the others was huge. Xiao Wu easily sent them flying, causing screams.
The leading middle-aged teacher looked sullen but didn't make a move, instead asking harshly, "Which academy do you belong to?"
He could see they were all geniuses, wanting to check if their background was something he could provoke.
"You aren't worthy to know." Dai Mubai said disdainfully.
The middle-aged man was furious at being belittled by kids.
"Humph! A bunch of arrogant brats!"
"Profound Turtle, possession!"
Ye Zhiqiu directly unleashed his Martial Soul intimidation, with five Soul Rings materializing around him—one white, two yellow, and two purple. Ye Zhiqiu was indeed a Soul King over level fifty.
However, Tang San and the others remained unfazed.
Seeing a Soul King, the other diners quickly left to avoid getting caught in the fight.
The innkeeper trembled, pleading, "Dear Soul Masters, if you must fight, could you do it outside? I'm just a small business..."
Ye Zhiqiu said sternly, "Apologize."
"Humph, apologize? We did no wrong."
Ye Zhiqiu's expression darkened as his intimidation failed to work.
"Humph, if you've got the guts, come out!"
Ye Zhiqiu exited the inn, and Tang San and the six others followed him outside.
Ye Zhiqiu coldly chuckled to himself, "Truly arrogant. I am a level fifty-three Soul Ring. Even if they're geniuses, the oldest is at most a level thirty Soul Venerable, while the rest seem eleven or twelve, at most over level twenty-five."
Ye Zhiqiu didn't take Tang San and his team seriously, believing dealing with them would be effortless.
Ye Zhiqiu said coldly, "Are you sure you want to fight me? I don't want to bully the weak. If you apologize to my students, I'll let you go. I am, after all, a level fifty-three Soul King!"
Dai Mubai was undaunted, "Humph, threatening us? Think we're scared? So what if you're a Soul King? With the seven of us working together, it's not clear who will win."
Ye Zhiqiu laughed, "Haha, ridiculous. Seven of you? The gap in strength can't be bridged by numbers."
Ma Hongjun mocked, "If it were your students, no amount could bridge the gap, but we're different. We're monsters."
"Humph, then prepare to attack."
Ye Zhiqiu stood with arms crossed arrogantly, knowing his Martial Soul was the Profound Turtle, making it hard for anyone of the same level to hurt him, let alone these youngsters.
Though unafraid, Tang San acknowledged the difficulty of the opponent, as he was a Soul King.
Tang San planned, "Though his Soul Power is stronger, his Martial Soul has flaws. It's a Defensive Martial Soul, so most of his skills are defensive with few offensive ones, posing less threat than other Soul Kings of the same level. I have two strategies for our fight."
"First, use our speed. I, Zhuqing, and Mubai will keep him at bay, moving at full speed, avoid being hit, find his weaknesses and attack."
"If no weaknesses are found and attacks fail, switch to the second plan. The three of us will distract him. The Profound Turtle element is water, which is countered by Fatty's Martial Soul, so Fatty will attack from a distance, with Oscar providing sausage supplies, and Xiao Wu supporting us. Our aim is to wear him out. Xiao Wu will rotate with us to get sausages from Xiao Ao for replenishment."
"We have Xiao Ao. He is alone and lacks attack methods, so we can win through attrition. Rongrong will enhance our attributes behind Fatty."
The six were very impressed with Tang San's strategy.
Ye Zhiqiu watched Tang San and the others discussing softly but was unconcerned, dismissing any battle plan they devised as futile against his strength.
Ye Zhiqiu sneered, "Well, have you finished your discussion? If you can't think of a strategy, just apologize. I believe any plan is useless."
Tang San declared assertively, "We can start the fight."
Tang San and his friends released their Martial Souls, startling Ye Zhiqiu.
As expected, apart from Dai Mubai, the rest were Grand Soul Masters, but what surprised him were their Soul Rings.
Soul Venerables had three rings, yellow, yellow, and purple, while the others had yellow, yellow.
Ye Zhiqiu was extremely shocked; such Soul Ring configurations were top-notch.
"Which academy are these kids from?" Ye Zhiqiu felt uneasy. All seven were genius level, unmatched at Canghui Academy.
Seeing Ye Zhiqiu's uneasy expression, it seemed he hesitated to act.
Dai Mubai guessed he feared entangling with top-tier academy students, dreading big trouble.
Dai Mubai mocked, "What, scared? Afraid of causing trouble? Don't worry, we're not from any grand academy. We're from the Shrek Academy."
"Shrek Academy?" Ye Zhiqiu's brow furrowed in confusion, never having heard of it.
Relaxing a bit, Ye Zhiqiu's five Soul Rings pulsed around him as he coldly said, "Then, let's fight!"
Tang San commanded, "Let's first try the first strategy I mentioned. If that doesn't work, move to the second one. Prepare for battle, everyone."
At this moment, a voice interrupted Tang San and the others.
"Xiao San, no need for the trouble; leave this turtle to me."